First it was Olusegun Aganga, many months ago, lecturing Charles Soludo on the principles of financial economics, and the right path to Nigeria’s ever elusive economic prosperity. Then there was Oby Ezekwesili, also a former Minister of many things, raising alarm over fast-dwindling foreign reserves. As if that was not enough to set Nigerian tongues wagging, Nasir El-Rufai, the erstwhile Federal Capital Territory Minister, served up a tall tale of his days in the Obasanjo administration in…

Recently, I read an extensive interview – at least, it seemed like it – granted by former Aviation Minister (among many other offices) under the Obasanjo administration, Femi Fani-Kayode to Adewale Aladejana of mytestimonys.blogspot.com. Aside from Femi, some other former members of the Obasanjo administration have, through diverse fora, expressed disappointment at the course the nation has taken under the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan. They have repeatedly lamented what they see as…

On December 25, 2011, a bomb blast in a catholic church in Northern Nigeria killed an estimated 25 worshippers, among who were parents and heads of households. Nigerians of every tribe and tongue, age, gender, and status reacted in disgust to this dastardly act of violence, primarily because it happened inside a church while services were in process, on one of the holiest of Christian days. That same day, in many parts of the country, many more Nigerians died of road accidents; a few…

“If you cannot leave us better than you found us, at least, try and leave us the same way you found us when you came.”

                                                                                                                 … Arochukwu elders’ advice.

When I returned to the US in 2004, after spending three and half years in Nigeria, I swore never to bother myself about anything Nigeria and its myriad of problems anymore. Alas, that oath lasted only three…

“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed”

“Due to the necessity of the security of a free state, the right of the people of that state to keep and bear arms under a well-regulated militia is very important and must ne maintained”

“The people shall have unfettered right to keep and bear arms as part of a militia, in order to provide security…

Not too long ago, Nigeria's controversial Central Bank governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, called for a reduction of the federal civil service strength by 50%. As would be expected, many organizations and interest groups, especially the Nigerian Labour Congress, called for his head and suggested federal expenditure reductions instead. Analysts of every profession and media personalities, including one of my favorites, Ijeoma Nwaogwugwu of Thisday Newspapers, offered alternatives to Sanusi's…

Every year, since 2009, I always look forward to reading or listening to Nigerian Presidents present their budget proposals to the national assembly, because they generally appear hopeful, fruitful, economically and socially progressive, and geared towards moving the nation in the right industrial direction. However, when one begins to analyze the allocations to specific ministries and priority departments, one is quickly demoralized and left wondering if there exist a genuine commitment to…

This question has been asked and answered in many different ways by political analysts, historians, election experts of every race and gender, media personalities of every station and group, and religious groups of every divide. Even foreign nationals have offered opinions of what went wrong, and every one of these groups and faiths are right in their answers to this troubling question that will, for years, leave the Karl Roves, Herman Cains, the Koch brothers, news analysts from Fox News,…

On October 23, 2012, history was made in the Gaza Strip as the Emir of the oil-rich Emirate of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became the first head or ruler of any country to visit the isolated strip since Hamas took control of its governance in 2007. This followed the 2006 parliamentary election in the Palestinian Authorities won by Hamas, but disapproved by the western countries which branded the organization a terrorist outfit.

As was expected from western countries and…

Throughout the GOP primaries leading up to the convention proper, I had observed, and been bothered by the lack of diversity in the crowds that attend the rallies. Aside from Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, none of whom were serious contenders to begin with; the rest of the field, especially Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, consistently pulled crowds of almost 99% white audiences with a handful of blacks and other minorities. In contrast, during the campaigns of both Bushes and John McCain, the…

A week or so ago, the president of the United States signed an Executive Order giving children of illegal immigrants who crossed over to the US when they were 16 years or less, through no fault of theirs, a two-year relief to remain and work in the country without fear of harassment and deportation, as long as they show continuous commitment to the development of the country. This Order drew praise from the Latino communities who make up the bulk of illegal immigrants, and have borne the…

The incident of June 3, 2012 will remain indelible in the minds of many - not all - Nigerians; that was the day a Dana airline crashed in Iju area of Lagos State killing all 147 passengers and 6 crew members on board, along with yet unconfirmed number of Nigerians on the ground.

I must admit that I have not heard much about plane crashes in Nigeria, given the level of corruption in the various Ministries and companies, and the lack of maintenance culture that pervades the…

INFLUENCE OF MONEY AND CREDIT ON JOBS, PRICES, AND GROWTH

National Economic Goals

Government should aim to stimulate the forces of enterprise and competition by relaxing the constraints imposed by over-restrictive regulations, by eliminating specific controls that distort the workings of the market mechanism, and by creating an environment conducive to growth. In the government sector, emphasis must…

As nature’s rays reflected and refracted on her glossy shoes

Sending streaks of glistening purple across the corners and aisles,

She stood; arms akimbo, hairs in place, one foot half-raised in readiness

The audience, hushed, in expectant anticipation, waits.

Commencement!

A twirl, a twist, a turn, all rhythmic; all artfully choreographed

Her body, fluid as liquid, followed where the wind blew

She hopped and skipped like the rabbit she…

Yesterday, April 21, I saw the most gruesome, horrifying image a decent human being could ever lay eyes on. Yes, I have seen worse, but they were always about strange births, car accidents due to texting while driving or alcoholism, effects of tsunami and tornadoes, and consequences of war; I have never seen anything like the image of Mrs. Mercy Nnamdi, a woman physically destroyed by a man she has been with and loved since she was 22 years old, as was posted on…

Boko Haram: Another Pogrom in the North?

Those of us outside the shores of Nigeria have watched with grave concern the events that have been unfolding , over  the past few months, in some parts of Northern Nigeria, Specifically, the seeming targeted killing of Igbo and Christians of various ethnic groups. We have, equally, wondered at the approach of the various levels of the Nigerian government towards this increasingly escalating problem, and there seems to be every…

…Of Wars and Consequences

Felix Oti

I am always puzzled by the leadership minds that reason together, and make decisions to go to war. True, there might be, on the surface, reasons to declare wars, either to stop on-going atrocities in some corner of the world, or to prevent another from happening in another corner of this same world; conquer new territories; teach that guy “who insulted my dad” a lesson,…

Recently, among the many stories making the media rounds in Nigeria and Diaspora is the expressed intend by the current Jonathan administration to gradually phase out the subsidy on fuel over a period of four years. Expectedly, there has been, and continues to be, reactions for and against this plan. All the arguments put forward by both sides are quite genuine, with some noted economists even expressing doubt as to the existence of a subsidy on gasoline to begin with.

The…

I am deeply troubled

Not a week goes by in Nigeria without one reading, or hearing, about one terrorist attack in one part of the country or another. From the mass slaughter of police officers in Maiduguri to the recent attempt at desttroying the local UN building, followed by more killings of innocent Nigerians in Jos, and other parts of Northern Nigeria (with threats to spread the mayhem to other parts of the country); one is constrained to ask this simple question: when does the…

DOES NIGERIA NEED A 469-MEMBER NATIONAL ASSEMBLY?

Felix Oti

Since the revelation, a couple of weeks ago, of the salaries and allowances of members of Nigeria's national assembly, enraged Nigerian in Diaspora have been up in literal arms demanding that some heads -no matters whose-must roll. Their anger, and those of their fellow citizens at home, are well-founded considering that Nigeria's Human Development Index has fallen in recent…